👑 🏴‍☠️🫖☕️ Romance and more Murderbot

    I love books with whimsy but it can be a tough balancing act between whimsy and silly. The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton is a clever, tongue-in-check romantasy about pirates, both male and female, magic, manners, propriety and Queen Victoria. I’ve seen it listed as Historical Fantasy. If you enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you will like this. Even though I found it a bit overwrought at times, the heroine possesses a steady head, until she falls for the pirate trying to assassinate her. 

👑 🏴‍☠️🫖☕️

    Part of Your World is my second Abby Jimenez book. I liked this one better than The Friend Zone. This protagonist is also facing toxic situations from parents and an ex. It is a good balance of a wealthy city and a small-town boy who have terrific reasons not to be able to leave their worlds. Standard romance fare, dealing with issues related to women, like abuse, both physical and emotional. It is on the upper edge of spiciness. 

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    After several novella-length stories of Murderbot, Martha Wells produces a full length work, The Network Effect. She skillfully blends previous characters and plots into the further adventures and evolution of Murderbot. Murderbot is kidnapped by hostile somethings. Now he has to unravel why, who, and what do they want. He has to work with humans, even a human adolescent, and an old friend who needs him. Martha Wells has been surprised to find that Murderbot exhibits many traits of someone who is autistic. She, herself identifies as Neurodivergent. I have several neurodivergent people in my life and reading about Murderbot’s interior life helps me understand that they are not unaffected by life, not emotionless, their process and response is looks different. Wells advocates that the goal shouldn’t be to make them more “normal” but to adjust communication and understanding.

Here is a terrific article about Murderbot and Autism. An Autistic-Coded Robot Done Right:  https://reactormag.com/murderbot-an-autistic-coded-robot-done-right/

📰🗞️💌🤖 Lots of Romance and a MURDERBOT!

 

    Diving Rivals and Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment #1 and #2) by Rebecca Ross are the two books of a YA fantasy romance duology. Ross has created a fantasy world similar in time and technology to World War I, where a light sprinkling of magic is present. The protagonists, Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, both have magic typewriters that create a communication link between them. They are aspiring journalists competing for the same position as a columnist for the prestigious Oath Gazette. Familiar tropes like the Rick Boy, Poor Girl caught in the maelstrom of war, who grow to love one another, raise the stakes for their survival. However, a twist is that this war is fought in service to the gods Dacre and Enva, who are at odds with each other. This adds another layer of problems that need to be solved for the books to have a satisfactory ending. The concluding book, Ruthless Vows, has the lovers fighting against the God of the Underworld, Dacre. They experience perilous adventures and receive help from others who believe in their cause. 

    Prepare for a mini rant. I don't know why this wasn't one long book. I suspect it was to make more money, and, yes, publishing is difficult, but it is still aggravating. Thank you for your patience. 

📰🗞️💌

   The Friend Zone, by Abby Jimenez, is the first one I've read by this popular author. Her characters are vibrant and sassy. Her plots, like those of every romance, are predictable, but she brings the fun and twists. Jimenez doesn't spare talking about difficult things like fibroid uterine tumors, infertility, and loss. I did find the ending, given the tone of the book, unearned. Also, the main female character felt a bit psycho with her: I love you, but I can't be with you, and if I told you, you wouldn't want to be with me, so go away after you kiss me. So much of the book wouldn't have happened if she had a forthright conversation with her love interest. I looked at some reviews on Goodreads, and there are strong feelings about how the book ended. Overall, I enjoyed it and looked forward to reading other books by Jimenez.

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    I continue my re-reading journey through The Murderbot Diaries with #4 Exit Strategy. Murderbot is wrestling with feelings. As a SecUnit, he doesn't usually have those feelings, but he finds that he cares about Mensa's well-being and, through analysis, knows she has been kidnapped. Mensa is a mother figure to Murderbot, and it both freaks him out and appeals to him. It's tough to be Murderbot.

🤖🤖🤖    

https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Martha+Wells

🪐🚀👨🏻‍🚀Aliens, Banned Books and Dragons!

 

Walking to Aldebaran is a standalone novella by Adrian Tchaikovsky about astronauts from Earth who get the privilege of being the first to examine an alien artifact in the Kuyper Belt. It appears to be an artificially created portal (wormhole) to other planets. But what is it really? And what is it capable of? This was a creepy, quick read.

🪐🚀👨🏻‍🚀

    Rogue Protocol, the third novella in The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, finds Murderbot growing into his independence and trying to understand the complicated relationship between humans and robots. He makes friends with another robot similar to him, but not a SecUnit; rather, it is a friend and is befriended by their humans. This makes Murderbot so angry, and he doesn't know why. Wells packs a lot of character growth and exploration into 158 pages. 

Here is a link to the previous Murderbot books: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Murderbot

🤖🦾☄️💔

One of the best depictions of a middle-aged, menopausal woman who tries to do it all

    The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen is the second book to take place in Tanria, a former prison for the old gods and recently cleared of its infestation of drudges. Bannen's depiction of a middle-aged, menopausal woman who is trying to keep up with being a mom, employer, friend, grandmother, and widow leaves her feeling more like an object and less than a person. The book holds together because Twyla is someone we know, even though her day job is hunting bad guys and helping dragons. She gives lots of mom energy. 

Here is a link to the first book, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Mercy+and+Hart

🪑🐲❤️‍🔥

    The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman is a Newbery Award Winner, and my club is discussing it this month. I recall reading it when my children were in late elementary school and enjoying its rags-to-riches, prince-and-the-pauper over-the-top storyline. But it has been challenging to find. When I reread it, I think I understand why. Jemmy, the rat catcher's orphan son, becomes the crown prince's, Prince Brat, whipping boy. This is a historical truth. There were children designated to receive the punishment of the royals who misbehaved. There are several scenes of children being whipped. I suspect that has led to its decline. It will make for an interesting discussion!

🐀🤴🐻🧄🧺

   I chose  Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller because it was on a list of books about books. It was a book about the power of books to educate and to change hearts and minds. George R. R. Martin says: A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. Some studies show people who read tend to be more empathetic: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3559433

    I wanted to like this book because I have found that books can be transformative in understanding others who hold convictions that differ from my own. I think this book aimed to do that, but in the end, what I experienced was that only those who read banned books would have the "right" set of beliefs. This made the characters on both sides of the moral divide two-dimensional and stereotypical

    Another theme could be: our secrets make us sick, and I agree there are complex topics like racism,  abuse, and fake news that need to be discussed, but I doubt anyone responds well to "only ignorant idiots would believe that." 

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Same Song, Second Verse or Same Authors, Next Book

 

    This week, I continued to read the series Murderbot Diaries and Flavia Albia novels. 

    I'm almost caught up with Lindsey Davis' series about detective (called informer) Flavia Albia set in ancient Rome. A Comedy of Terrors, by Linsey Davis, takes place at Saturnalia, a Roman holiday that feels like Christmas. There are greens, presents, family get-togethers, and, of course, murder. Davis paints a full-orbed picture of Rome--a big messy city populated with diverse, comical characters that sometimes kill each other. 

    Davis has written over 30 books--about a book a year--and they do not disappoint. 

    Network Effect, by Martha Wells, is a full-length novel about Murderbot. He is a construct of biology and technology. He reminds me of a cyborg, but is likable. Previous books were novellas about 150 pages long, but Network Effect is 350 pages, but it doesn't hinder Well's brisk pacing. Reading through the series, I can see Murderbot maturing in his capacity to care for and connect (See what I did there?) with others. I hope there will be a Netflix (or similar) series. It has the right ingredients: superpowers, a desire to be autonomous, seeking a purpose in a strange world, aliens, evil corporations, and adolescent angst. All good stuff.

    I'm not sure what drew me to The Six: The Lives of The Mitford Sisters by Laura Thompson. It is a biography of six British aristocratic sisters who came of age during the 1930s and World War II. Thompson educates the reader about the political extremes of the time: Fascism, Socialism, Nazism, and Communism. In the face of twenty percent unemployment, many of these ideologies were vying to be the prevailing policy in Great Britain. The times were divisive, and opinions were firmly held. One sister became a fervent Nazi and friend to Adolf Hitler, one's husband was the leader of the British Union of Facist, and another a dedicated Communist. Their lives and marriages were tumultuous and enthralling. It was an entrance to an eye-level understanding of Britain during this time and a chance to read some juicy life stories. Thompson called the sisters the Kardashians of their time. 😉

What I do for history!

Classic Travel🗺️, Romance💖, Murder Mystery 🎄, and Sci-Fi🤖. Win!

 

    A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway is the December choice for my book club. We are reading travel books, and this was on several lists of best travel books. I am struck by the similarities of this book to last month's Travels with Charlie. Two famous authors' final books talking about travel seem ripe for a compare and contrast paper. It practically writes itself. I will refrain. 

    A Moveable Feast doesn't fit neatly in the travel category. I would classify it as a memoir. Hemingway recounts his life in Paris when he was poor and trying to find his way as an author. I encountered somewhat familiar names like Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and wished I knew more about who they were and why they were there. Hemingway is a big personality--he doesn't strike me as the quietly observant type but as a Man-of-Action. He recounts adventures with his first wife, Hadley, with tenderness and affection. In his recollections, he glories in being a young, strong, free spirit figuring out his talent. I don't like Hemingway the man much. He has a tone of arrogance that rankles me. He made poor choices and unapologetically hurt others. I'm glad I read it because he's a good writer who worked hard to improve; he knew exciting people and led an intriguing life. 

🇫🇷📝⛷️🗺️

    The View was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Oujuli Datta is romance and employs the fake-in-love trope well. Whitman Tagore is a rising movie star blazing a trail as a British Indian Actress. She is trying to break out of the woman of color best friend and nerdy computer whiz parts into a leading role. What would be stumbles for other actors, like an uncensored response to a bad breakup, could be career-ending for her. She hires a bulldog of a publicist who helps her craft a nuanced image designed to appeal to directors and fans alike. Part of that image is a hot playboy love interest like Leo Milanowski. The publicist arranges carefully choreographed "dates" to be "accidentally" photographed. It is a romance and, therefore, has a predictable story path. Still, Clements and Datta make it challenging for this trending couple and keep me guessing whether it is real or Hollywood magic.

🎥🤩

    The word to describe The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett is clever. I enjoyed her previous book, The Twyford Code, which is another innovative book. Here is my review of it:  https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/2023/08/i-read-super-serious-book-clever.html. This is a good choice if you like to read Christmas-themed books during the holidays. It is told entirely through emails, texts, and other modern forms of communication, making it an epistolary novel. That is a complex style to pull off; even Jane Austin couldn't do it! I found it quite British, mainly since I listened to the audiobook version. The story revolves around a village theater group doing a traditional holiday pantomime. Petty jealousy over starring roles, a struggle for power, crime, drugs, murder, and Santa work well together.  

🎄🎅🎭💊

    I was so glad to read the latest in The Murderbot Diaries series, System Collapse, by Martha Wells. It is dependable sci-fi with big stakes, selfish bad guys, and a cranky, likable SecUnit hero--a cyborg who was once compelled to serve, but through the power of story, his heart grew three times its size, and he (it?) became free. Internally, it calls itself Murderbot. The plot is propulsive, and the characters are authentic. I have reviewed the series here: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Martha+Wells. System Collapse is a good continuation. 

🤖🦾👽🛸

🚚🎥🤳👩‍🍼Suspenseful Mystery, 💔Ficiton, and🐌🛸 More Sci-FI!🤖🦾👽

 

Twisty, slightly unbelievable, 

    Holly Jackson is brilliant at plotting. She creates snaky, torturous storylines that keep me guessing. In The Reappearance of Rachel Price, the high school senior, Bel, agrees to contribute to a documentary about her missing mother, who has been gone for sixteen years. Her dad was put on trial for her murder, but was acquitted; however, her small town never trusted him. All Bel had was her dad, then her mother returned. Jackson twists and twists the story. It was like watching a corkscrew disappear into a cork, tensely waiting for it all to pop open. 

Here is a review of Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/2024/11/murder-trouble-drug-trouble-and-more.html

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    Good Material by Dolly Alderton begins tediously and remains so for most of the book. A thirty-five-year-old comic, Andy, suffers a break-up with his long-term girlfriend, Jen. It devastates him, partly because he didn't see it coming. Most of the book is written from his first-person perspective, detailing his life after Jen, as he tries to piece together what happened and how to move forward without her. There is much humor in his actions, ruminations, and how his friends seek to help him. I thought about not finishing it, but several reviews said the best part of the book was the very end, so I stuck with it. I didn't find that it redeemed the previous slow pace. Overall, not a book I would recommend.

💔😭📦

    The Expert System's Champion by Adrian Tchaikovsky continues a previous novella, The Expert System's Brother. Tchaikovsky takes science fiction, an already imaginative genre, and reaches into both realistic and unforeseen places. He considers not only the flying car, but also the traffic jam. How do you survive on a plant that is poisonous to your biology? How would that impact future generations? Tchaikovsky asks and answers creative, thoughtful questions. 

Here is a link to the growing list of Adrian Tchaikovsky books I've reviewed: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Adrian

🐌🐝🌳

    I am rereading Martha Wells' series,  The Robot Diaries, starting with All Systems Red. I have been watching Apple TV's adaptation, and it's not bad, but it doesn't square exactly with the book. I understand that books and TV shows are different forms of storytelling, with TV and films being visual. Therefore, a book adaptation will always look different from the story I've built in my head. I sometimes feel like I'm being gaslit when new plot points surface, and I think: I don't remember that. Truthfully, half the time I don't remember! 

Previous reviews of The Murderbot Diaries:

https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=All+Systems+Red

https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=murderbot

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📕📗📘📙📚📕Eight Books! New Record!

To be fair, four of the books are under 150 pages and could be read in two hours or so, but still, 8!

 

    John Scalzi is excellent at sci-fi, and I was absorbed by his premise in his Audible series. For some inexplicable reason, people who are murdered don't die, but reanimate somewhere they feel safe, with their body reset to where it was an hour or so before they died. From this strange phenomenon arises a profession called Dispatcher, who work at hospitals and other high-risk places. If something goes wrong in an operation and the patient is about to die, the Dispatcher murders them, enabling them to get a reset. It is a fascinating world where murder is off the table for bad guys. What's a crime boss to do? Our protagonist is a Dispatcher, and Scalzi takes the reader on a tour of the problem set and hidden benefits of this new "reality." If you are fortunate enough to have an Audible membership, they are free to you. They are short, each lasting less than four hours. Zachary Quinto (new Spock) does a bang-up job as narrator.

🔎🏥🏙️

    Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino was another interesting premise book. An alien civilization sends a scout to learn about Earth and report home. She is born as a baby and grows up learning of her mission. The book offers unique insights into people, relationships, and life as Adina Giorno matures, so does her understanding. A part of the book's tension revolves around whether she will be perceived as an alien or as mentally ill, and what her alien progenitor's plan for Earth entails. 

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    I am watching the Apple TV Series, The Murderbot Diaries, so I am rereading the books the series is based on. It is annoying when TV veers away from the "canon" of the book. I try to remember that it is challenging to create an accurate map of the world due to the need to flatten the sphere. Books are the sphere, and TV is the flattened map. With books, it is more difficult to convey the inner thoughts of the characters. It needs to be demonstrated. I like all forms, TV and books, so far. Martha Wells has created a prickly, likeable character who wants to be free. It's hard not to cheer for Murderbot.

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    Martha Grimes is one of my favorite mystery writers. I have been finding her books in libraries for 30 years, so now her main character, Richard Jury, feels like a long-time friend. All of her books are named for British pubs or bars. The Old Success is consisely written and there are many characters from previous books. It's probably best to start with the first, Man With A Load of Mischief, and work your way through. I have rarely guessed who the murderer was. A notable feature of her books is that they often feature precocious children and beloved pets. She is definitely an animal lover. 

🐎🔎⛴️

    The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, by Megan Bannen, was a light horror Romantasy. I found it clever and creative in its premise--Zombies, called Drudges, are real--and Hart fights them out on the wastelands of Tanria while Mercy fights to keep her family's undertaking business afloat. They are hostile toward each other due to a series of misunderstandings, but these two lonely people find each other writing letters to an unknown friend--A You've Got Mail situation. The setting gives an eighteenth-century Western vibe. It is a fun read.

🧟❤️‍🔥🪦💀🤠

    I always get excited when I get to read a new Emily Henry romance, so when Great Big Beautiful Life landed in my inbox yesterday, I wondered how far I would get before today's post. I just finished it a few minutes ago, and it was delicious. Emily Henry's characters are funny and wounded at the start, then remain funny but become less wounded. She sparkles at dialogue, and I snort-laugh over a quip or retort without fail during every book. A romance book follows a formula, so at times the plot feels predictable, but Henry imbues her characters with life, which I am glad that the formula is followed. In Great Big Beautiful Life, topics discussed include celebrity life, family dynamics, the cost of love, and island life in North Carolina. 

❤️‍🔥❤️‍🩹📸🌴🐍

Its All About ⚛️🚀 Sci-Fi and 🧌🧝‍♀️Fantasy

 

    Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree is High Fantasy. I recently learned this term from @Eliabeth_Wheatly on YouTube. It means a story that takes place in a realm other than this one, like Lord of the Rings, whereas Low Fantasy is set in our world. An example is the Harry Potter series. 

    As the fantasy genre has grown beyond its earlier sci-fi category into its own genre, it has many spawned subgenres. Here is a link to a list of fifty: https://reedsy.com/discovery/blog/fantasy-subgenres.

📚🧌🧝‍♀️

    I have read the Martha Wells series The Murderbot Diaries and loved it. Here is a link to my reviews: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=murderbot.

    I was excited to read her book, Witch King. However, the audiobook starts with several minutes of a list of characters with a brief description and affiliations, and I realized it might be tough to keep everyone straight. And it was. Yet it was still a captivating, inventive story. Wells is a fantastic architect of imaginary, robust worlds. The main character, Kai, is a demon prince of the underworld who inhabits a mortal body. The story starts with his being awakened from an imprisonment in stasis. He frees is his witch bff Ziede. Together with a ragtag band of misfits, they journey to find Ziede's captured wife, discover who has imprisoned them, and try to make the world a better place. This universe is infused with magic that is used for good and evil purposes. It is a world that has been conquered and now seeks to be liberated. Wells creates a place where gender identity and queerness are the norm. This aspect reminds me of Ursula Le Guin's writings. 

For a clearer and more in-depth review, I recommend:

https://ancillaryreviewofbooks.org/2023/07/10/unburning-the-world-review-of-witch-king-by-martha-wells/

😈🦂🧚‍♀️👿

    I watched the series 3 Body Problem, based on the book The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu, translated by Ken Liu. It is unusual that I watch the series/film before I read the book. There is so much happening in the book that seeing the series helped me understand as I read. In the book, most of the action takes place in China; the series has locations and characters that are more international. The author is Chinese and a computer science engineer. This gives the book a non-western feeling and adds to its alien feeling. Strange things are happening to Earth's scientists. They are seeing things no one else can see, and it causes them to commit suicide. The reason this is happening is slowly revealed to be tied to one woman--a Chinese physicist--who serves at an isolated radar station. Her actions set in motion world-ending events. 

    I found this book somewhat technical, but I understood what was happening and why. There are two more books in the series, and I plan on working through them. If you like science-y science fiction, this is a terrific read.

⚛️🚀👽🛸

Mystery, History, and Sci-Fi. Oh My!

 

    After weeks of reading weighty subject matter, I have moved on to my comfort reads of mostly mystery and sci-fi. There was a time when I read mystery books almost exclusively, but now I'm mature and try to read Things that Matter. The Grove of the Caesars (Flavia Albia #8) by Lindsey Davis is part of a series I have enjoyed for years. If you like mystery series, Lindsey is really good at what she does. She has two series taking place in Rome in the 1st century. The first is about Didius Falco--former military turned detective, and the second series features his adopted daughter, Flavia Albia. She is intelligent, sarcastic, and cynical--my kind of woman--and the mysteries are intriguing. I'm currently reading the next book in the series.

  

    My departure from the "fun" stuff is Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. This is my book club book for April. It is based on a painting by Vermeer and was also made into a movie with Scarlet Johansson. I haven't seen the movie yet. My art person, Noelle, informed me that not much is known about Vermeer. He only produced thirty-four paintings, mostly of women. The painting is compared to DaVinci's Mona Lisa. It makes sense. It is hard to tell what the woman is feeling or thinking, but she is arresting. 

    The book was more fiction than history. The tension comes from several love triangles and the oppression of women and servants.

          

    I continued the sci-fi series Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. I read the first one earlier this year. search This week, I read Artificial Condition (#2), Rogue Protocol (#3), and Exit Strategy (#4). They were short, more like novellas with about 150 pages each. It is a coming-of-age story. It displays a favorite idea of mine (and others how_stories_change_brain) that story changes you. He is sarcastic, cynical, and lethal, but with a kind heart that he tries to hide and a fondness for soap operas: stories. He is an evolving protagonist and engaging. I have the next one in the series ready to read.

On a final note, Happy Birthday, Dear Beloved Husband, who is the evolving, good-hearted love interest in the book of my life.❤️🤓